Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Northern Ireland

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many service personnel (1) on operational development, and (2) in total, were garrisoned in Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are currently available.

Earl Howe: A total of 2,190 United Kingdom regular service personnel were stationed in Northern Ireland as at 1 April 2015. Further details, including a breakdown by service and by local authority area are published in our quarterly location statistics; the latest release can be found at the following address: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/428656/qls_apr15.pdf UK regular forces, including those based in Northern Ireland, are liable for overseas deployment. The numbers committed to operations constantly varies depending on levels of operational activity and the contribution from Service personnel stationed in Northern Ireland reflects this variability.   



Quarterly Location Statistics
(PDF Document, 275 KB)

Ministry of Defence: Public Expenditure

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the recent budget, how much extra money will be available to the Ministry of Defence in 2015–16, 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19.

Earl Howe: The Summer Budget does not affect the Ministry of Defence's 2015-16 budget, which has been laid before Parliament.The Ministry of Defence budget for 2016-17 and beyond will be determined in the Spending Review. The Chancellor confirmed in the Summer Budget that the Ministry of Defence's budget will rise by 0.5 per cent per year from 2016-17 to 2020-21. There will also be up to an additional £1.5 billion per year by 2020-21 made available to be allocated to the Armed Forces and security and intelligence agencies through the Strategic Defence and Security Review and Spending Review.

War Widows: Pensions

Baroness Benjamin: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost of reinstating the pensions of war widows who lost their pensions when they remarried or chose to cohabit, and who have not had their pensions restored to them since the changes to pension entitlement in April 2015; and whether they have any plans to restore their pension entitlements.

Earl Howe: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Minister for Defence Personnel and Veterans (Mark Lancaster), in the House of Commons on 16 July 2015 to Question number 6874 to the hon. Member for Leeds North West (Greg Mulholland). It has been the policy of successive governments that changes or improvements to all public service pension schemes should not be applied retrospectively. Therefore, there are no plans to reinstate war widows' pensions for war widows who remarried between 1973 and 2005. 



War Widows: Pensions
(Word Document, 31.5 KB)

Defence: Expenditure

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether elements of defence-related intelligence have been added to the defence budget.

Earl Howe: No security and intelligence agency funding has been added to the defence budget, apart from routine transfers which are published in main and supplementary estimates. The funding for the Defence Intelligence organisation remains funded from the defence budget. As confirmed in the Summer Budget, the Government is committed to meeting the properly- measured NATO pledge to spend 2% of national income on defence every year of this decade. This will include public spending that supports the Ministry of Defence and the contribution made by the secret intelligence agencies.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Zimbabwe: Pensions

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress has been made in any discussions they are having with the government of Zimbabwe on the subject of pensions owed to former Rhodesian or Zimbabwean public servants.

Earl of Courtown: The British Government continues to remind the relevant authorities in Zimbabwe of their legal commitment to former employees of the Southern Rhodesia government. Following our most recent approach, the Government of Zimbabwe last wrote to us on 27 May. They explained that pension repayments remain affected by current financial constraints in Zimbabwe and the state of the wider economy. Nonetheless, at our prompting they committed to continuing to seek a solution.

Zimbabwe: Pensions

Lord Goodlad: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the fact that the government of Zimbabwe’s obligation to pay the pensions owed to former Rhodesian or Zimbabwean public servants has not been fulfilled, what assessment they have made of their obligation to assist those former servants of the Crown; what assessment they have made of the case for making ex gratia payments to those former public servants without prejudice, either from development aid or other funds, in the light of the practice of protecting the pensions of officers employed on expatriate terms in other former dependent territories; and what, if any, assessment they have made of the cost of making such ex gratia payments.

Earl of Courtown: The UK’s pension protection arrangements in Zimbabwe are confined to those officers who were recruited by the Secretary of State for the Colonies to serve in Southern Rhodesia on expatriate terms. For those recruited on expatriate terms, the UK provides direct pension support. We continue to be clear that the UK does not have legal or moral responsibility for Southern Rhodesian civil service pensions. This responsibility lies solely with the Government of Zimbabwe.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Detainees

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo calling for the release of Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala.

Earl of Courtown: Officials from our Embassy in Kinshasa have twice lobbied the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) alongside other EU missions to raise our concerns about the ongoing detentions of Fred Bauma and Yves Makwambala. We continue to urge the DRC government to act on the recommendations of its Parliamentary Commission of Inquiry into the arrests.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo regarding allegations of unlawful detention and acts of torture by the Congolese intelligence services against activists, political leaders and human rights campaigners following protests in January against the revision of the electoral law and demonstrations in March organised by LUCHA.

Earl of Courtown: We remain deeply concerned by the Congolese authorities’ response to the civil unrest that affected Kinshasa and the wider Democratic Republic of Congo in January, and subsequent peaceful political activity. It is unacceptable to hold the arrested participants in detention for long periods without charge or due legal assistance. We are concerned by reports that their testimony was obtained under duress and that this may be used in legal proceedings against the activists.In response, and together with other EU Missions, officials from our Embassy in Kinshasa twice lobbied the Congolese government to voice our concern at the arrest and detention without charge of the activists. Officials also joined other international observers in monitoring court hearings in this case and those of a number of other activists detained in recent months. Officials have stressed to the Congolese authorities that civil society organisations must be allowed to hold workshops on the democratic process without fear of arrest or reprisal, that all legal proceedings must fully respect the international standards of due process and that the right to peaceful demonstration and assembly must be upheld. Our concerns were set out in an EU Heads of Mission press statement issued on 11 February.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what representations they have made to the government of the Democratic Republic Congo pressing for an independent, credible, and transparent investigation of the mass grave found in March in Maluka, supported by international investigators and experts.

Earl of Courtown: British Government officials have called upon Congolese judicial officials to properly investigate the mass grave containing over 400 bodies uncovered in Maluku in March.We urge the Congolese authorities to work closely with international experts, including from the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and call on them to ensure that a transparent and credible investigation is urgently undertaken. Officials have also encouraged the Congolese government to ensure a thorough response to the public compliant filed on 5 June by the families of 34 victims of disappeared persons.On 10 April the EU delegation in Kinshasa made a press statement on behalf of all EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa reiterating this call for justice.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Human Rights

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is their assessment of the call from Human Rights Watch for an exhumation of the mass grave at Maluka by an international team.

Earl of Courtown: British Government officials have called upon Congolese judicial officials to properly investigate the mass grave containing over 400 bodies uncovered in Maluku in March.We urge the Congolese authorities to work closely with international experts, including from the UN Mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (MONUSCO) and the UN Joint Human Rights Office (UNJHRO) in the Democratic Republic of Congo, and call on them to ensure that a transparent and credible investigation is urgently undertaken. Officials have also encouraged the Congolese government to ensure a thorough response to the public compliant filed on 5 June by the families of 34 victims of disappeared persons.On 10 April the EU delegation in Kinshasa made a press statement on behalf of all EU Heads of Mission in Kinshasa reiterating this call for justice.

Department for Business, Innovation and Skills

Overseas Students: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what alternatives are currently available to international students who are ineligible for undergraduate student finance.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Advice on alternative sources of funding for international students not eligible for UK Government support is provided on the Education UK website. The website lists a range of scholarships and funding schemes that are administered by the British Council as well as support available from individual UK HE institutions.

Higher Education: Part-time Education

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 6 July (HL793), what assessment they have made of the decline in the number of undergraduates in the part-time sector between the academic years 2009–10 and 2013–14; and what specific proposals they have for encouraging part-time study as one means to address skills shortages in engineering.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: An assessment of trends in entry to part-time undergraduate courses was included in the Higher Education Funding Council for England’s report “Pressure from all sides: Economic and policy influences on part-time higher education” http://www.hefce.ac.uk/media/hefce/content/pubs/2014/201408d/HEFE2014_08d.pdfThe Government recognises the importance of part-time undergraduate higher education and from 2015/16 has introduced a relaxation of the Equivalent and Lower Qualifications policy, to give financial support to those who are committed to retraining in engineering, technology and computer science. We have also committed to rolling out many more Degree Apprenticeships, allowing young people to combine a world-class degree with a world-class apprenticeship.   



HEFCE Report
(PDF Document, 1.34 MB)

Skilled Workers: Recruitment

Lord Bradshaw: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, in the light of the number of working adults aged 25 to 64 considering higher education in the next five years, what specific steps they propose to take to fill any skills gaps left by current workers engaging in higher education.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: We want to equip people of all ages with the skills that employers need in order to be competitive and grow. In addition to initiatives such as the establishment of employer-led National Colleges we are expanding the number of apprenticeships providing opportunities for individuals to learn whilst also being in employment; helping to raise productivity and reduce skills gaps. We are committed to 3m apprenticeship starts over the next 5 years and to delivering employer-led apprenticeship reforms, which are improving the quality of apprenticeships to provide the skills that employers need. We will roll out many more degree apprenticeships, which combine a world-class degree with an apprenticeship. Higher and Degree Apprenticeships are widening access to the professions and providing the higher level technical skills employers need to improve productivity.   We have established National Colleges to help the UK develop the world-class technical skills needed to compete globally and to address high level skills gaps in key sectors of the economy. They will focus on Level 4 & 5 qualifications and deliver both Advanced and Higher Apprenticeships training, with progression for students up to postgraduate level. Expected to function on a par with Universities, they will be major centres of excellence with international reputations, attracting students from across the country.

Apprentices

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for the latest year for which figures are available, how many people in England aged (1) 16, (2) 17, (3) 18, (4) 19–21, (5) 22–24, and (6) 25 and over, started an apprenticeship; and for each age group, how many started engineering apprenticeships.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Table 1 shows the number of apprenticeship starts in 2013/14 by age for all apprenticeships and for the engineering and manufacturing sector subject area. Table 1: Apprenticeship Starts by age (2013/14)  AgeAll Apprenticeship StartsEngineering and Manufacturing1625,5006,9001739,0008,5001855,10010,80019-21101,00015,50022-2458,1007,00025+161,60016,100Total 440,400  64,800 Notes:  (1) The source is the Individualised Learner Record.(2) Volumes are rounded to the nearest hundred.(3) Age is based upon self-declaration by the learner and is defined as age at start of apprenticeship.

Apprentices: Finance

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, for the latest year for which figures are available, what is the total level of funding for apprenticeships in England available for those aged (1) 16–18, and (2) 19 and over; and for each age group, how much was allocated to engineering apprenticeships.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Funding responsibility for the Apprenticeship Programme is shared between the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills which funds adult apprenticeships and the Department for Education which funds 16-18 year olds. This is a demand-led budget and not allocated to any particular sector, employers and providers are relied upon to work together to offer sufficient opportunities to meet local demand.   For the 2015/16 financial year, the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills will provide £770million to fund apprenticeships for those aged 19+ and the Department for Education will provide £776.5million to fund apprenticeships for those aged 16-18[1]. [1] These figures do not include funding for the Employer Ownership Programme

Apprentices: Engineering

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how decisions about allocating funding to engineering apprenticeships for those aged (1) 16–18, and (2) 19 and over, are made.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Apprenticeships are paid jobs with high quality training. The locations and sectors where apprenticeships are available are determined by employers offering opportunities and recruiting apprentices.   We are committed to 3 million apprenticeship starts during the next 5 years and we will work with employers, including in the engineering sector, to provide more apprenticeship opportunities, particularly for young people.   Through the Skills Funding Agency, the Government provides funding for training where employers hire an apprentice and currently fully funds apprenticeship training for 16 – 18 year olds and up to 50% of apprenticeship training for over 19s.

Students: Grants

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the cost of (1) full, and (2) partial, maintenance grants for full-time undergraduate students in higher education in England studying at (a) universities, and (b) further education colleges.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Student Loans Company (SLC) publishes statistics according to the domicile of applicants rather than the country of study. Information on English domiciled applicants awarded Maintenance Grants for study at UK providers is published annually by SLC in the Statistical First Release ‘Student Support for Higher Education England’. http://www.slc.co.uk/media/855703/slcsfr052014.pdf   The amount awarded in Maintenance Grants to English domiciled applicants at publicly-funded providers in the UK by type of provider in the academic year 2013/14 has been provided in the table.   Maintenance Grants (1) awarded (2) to English applicants by provider type (3) Publicly-funded providers of Higher Education (4) Academic year 2013/14  Amount awarded (£ million)Provider typeFull Maintenance GrantPartial Maintenance GrantAll Maintenance GrantsHigher Education Institutions1,124.8221.01,345.8Further Education Colleges101.012.1113.1All publicly-funded providers1,225.8233.11,458.9   Source: Student Loans Company Notes: (1) Figures include Special Support Grants, which are payable in place of Maintenance Grants to vulnerable students who may otherwise have their DWP benefits reduced. (2) Awards do not necessarily translate into payments. An awarded applicant will only receive payments once SLC have received confirmation from the student’s provider that the student has been registered on the course. (3) Provider name is the name of the parent institution to the main institution associated with a course as recorded in the SLC administrative system. A course may be held at a campus of the main institution or at a franchise location. (4) In addition to the £1,458.9 million awarded in Maintenance Grants to applicants at publicly-funded providers, there was also £133.3 million awarded to applicants at Alternative Providers in 2013/14, however a breakdown of these awards by provider type is not readily available.   



Statistical first release
(PDF Document, 714.27 KB)

Higher Education: Admissions

Baroness Sharp of Guildford: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many students in England are studying (1) full-time undergraduate degrees, (2) foundation degrees, and (3) other undergraduate degrees; and of each group, how many students are studying at (a) universities, and (b) further education colleges.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Information derived by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) on the distribution of undergraduate students taught at Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) and Further Education Colleges (FECs) is provided in the table.   The figures in the table describe the position as at the 8 July 2015 and are subject to change. HEFCE will be publishing their final estimates in the Summer. Full-Person Equivalent of undergraduate students(1,2) on full-time courses by type of teaching institution  Higher Education and Further Education Institutions in England Academic year 2013/14 Position as at 8 July 2015  Teaching Institution3 Higher Education InstitutionsFurther Education Colleges(4,5)TotalFirst degree1,084,17023,7751,107,945Foundation degree14,20530,89545,100Other undergraduate18,92512,60031,525Total Undergraduate1,117,30567,2701,184,575   Source: HEFCE analysis of the Higher Education Statistics Agency’s (HESA) Student Record and the Skills Funding Agency’s (SFA) Individualised Learner Record (ILR)   Table notes:   1. Figures exclude undergraduate students taught at Alternative providers. 2. Full Person Equivalent (FPEs) counts apportion students if they are studying more than one subject or at more than one teaching institution. 3. Under franchising arrangements the teaching institution may differ from the registering institution. 4. Figures for FECs refer to students participating in prescribed courses of Higher Education. 5. HEFCE apply statistical methods to the registered population at Further Education Colleges in order to make sure that the population used is comparable to that returned by the Higher Education Statistics Agency. 6. Figures are rounded to the nearest 5.

Department for International Development

Sierra Leone: Ebola

Lord Moonie: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the total cost to date of assistance to Sierra Leone to combat the Ebola outbreak; and how those costs have been allocated between departments.

Baroness Verma: The UK has committed £427m to combat Ebola in West Africa, £373m for the ongoing crisis response and £54m for early recovery activities including infection prevention control and WASH facilities. The Secretary of State recently announced a further £240m package of support for Sierra Leone at the UN Secretary General’s Conference in New York, however this will focus on long term recovery over the next 2 years.  DFID is leading the UK Government’s response to the crisis and retains the budget for response activities, reimbursing other government departments including the Ministry of Defence, the NHS and Public Health England for any costs incurred. DFID has so far disbursed over £275 million to combat the outbreak.

Department for International Development: Public Appointments

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies by the Department for International Development.

Baroness Verma: The Department for International Development publishes a list of persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies:  The Independent Commission for Aid Impact (ICAI) -  Dr Alison Evans, Chief Commissioner of ICAI Commissioners: Francesca Del MeseTina FahmRichard Gledhill  The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission (CSC) - Richard Middleton, Chair, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UKProfessor Graham Furniss OBE, FBA, Deputy Chair, Commonwealth Scholarship Commission in the UKCommonwealth Scholarship Commissioners : Professor Anne Anderson OBE Sandy Balfour Dr Nick Brown Richard Burge Anthony Cary CMG Professor David Cope Professor Brian Faragher Professor David Francis Sarah Laessig Dr Joanna Newman MBE Mark Robson Dr Mary Stiasny OBE Professor Jeff Waage OBE

Ministry of Justice

Data Protection

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps have been taken and what steps they plan to take to increase the number of registrations with the Information Commissioner’s Office; what estimate they have made of the consequential annual increase in income, and of the recovery of lost income from those who have not paid the required fee as data controllers; and what assessment they have made of current levels of fees.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the financial incentive or disincentive for the Information Commissioner’s Office to maximise the registration fee income it receives and recoup any registration fee income that has not been paid by data controllers in previous years.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consideration the Information Commissioner’s Office and the Ministry of Justice have given to ensuring that action is taken against all those who have not complied with their registration obligations; what weight the possible disadvantage to those who have paid their due fees is given in deciding whether to prosecute non-registration; and what assessment they have made of whether all those involved in the administration of justice are compliant.

Lord Faulks: The Data Protection Act 1998 requires every data controller who is processing personal information to register with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) unless they are exempt. Failure to do so is a criminal offence.The ICO’s website sets out the criteria for notification and provides guidance on the level of fee organisations should be paying. The ICO have also made it easier for organisations to notify and pay the fee by introducing online payments.In 2014/15 the ICO brought eight prosecutions against organisations for non-notification and two prosecutions for wrong purposes.The Ministry of Justice and the ICO are looking at the current funding model as part of negotiations on the proposed EU Data Protection Regulation.

Data Protection

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what budgetary provision the Information Commissioner’s Office has made regarding its data protection activities for the next financial year.

Lord Faulks: The Information Commissioner’s Office’s (ICO) data protection activities are funded by fees from organisations that process personal data. The amount available to spend each year is dependent on the number of organisations that notify with the ICO.

Prisons: Construction

Lord Falconer of Thoroton: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what new additional capacity in the adult prison estate is (1) planned or (2) under construction; in which prisons; how many additional units will be created; and when each additional space will be ready for use.

Lord Faulks: This Government is committed to making further savings by closing old, inefficient prisons and building larger, modern and fit for purpose ones.We have recently delivered 1,250 new places at four new house-blocks (at Peterborough, Parc, Thameside and The Mount prisons).We are constructing a new 2,106 place prison for North Wales in Wrexham, to be opened in 2017. This will be a modern, purpose-built institution; safe, decent and secure and effective in helping prisoners deal with their offending and develop the work, education and life skills that they need to effectively rehabilitate.We are committed to ensuring that there are enough places for offenders sentenced to custody by the courts. Decisions on the future size of the prison estate will reflect the current and projected prison population

Deaths in Custody Independent Review

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what arrangements they are making to evaluate and respond to each of the recommendations in the report of the Harris Review Changing Prisons, Saving Lives; when they plan to publish any response; and in the light of that review, what immediate action they are taking.

Lord Faulks: Our prisons must punish those who break the law, but they should also be places of rehabilitation that can help rescue offenders from a life of crime. The death of a young person whilst in prison custody, at a time when they can be at their most vulnerable, is a real tragedy. It is right that we look closely at any measures that could reduce such deaths. The government will consider Lord Harris’ recommendations very carefully and respond to the report in the autumn.

Wandsworth Prison

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government by what percentage the number of prison officers at HMP Wandsworth has reduced since May 2010.

Lord Faulks: Information on the change in the number of full time equivalent band 3 to 5 prison officers in Wandsworth between 31 May 2010 and 31 March 2015 is shown in the table below. Table: Number of Full Time Equivalent Officers in Wandsworth, 31 May 2010 - 31 March 2015Officer Grade31 May 201031 March 2015% ChangeBand 3-5 Officers420270-35 All figures are rounded to the nearest 10, with numbers ending in 5 rounded to the nearest multiple of 20 to prevent systematic bias. As with all HR databases, extracts are taken at a fixed point in time, to ensure consistency of reporting. The database itself is dynamic however, and where updates to the database are made subsequent to the taking of the extract, these updates will not be reflected in figures produced by the extract. For this reason, HR data are unlikely to be precisely accurate, and to present unrounded figures would be to overstate the accuracy of the figures. Rounding to 10 accurately depicts the level of certainty that is held with these figures. Percentages are formed from unrounded parts prior to rounding. For this reason, percentages may not equal the calculated percentages of rounded figures. Since 2010 Wandsworth has undergone benchmarking as part of the New Ways of Working Model. This has resulted in a number of roles (for example instructors, caterers and programme facilitators) previously carried out by prison officers being civilianised. In additional a vulnerable prisoners unit was re-rolled from Category B to Category C and a small number of dog handlers moved to regional control. The target staffing figure is in line with similar establishments.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Business: Females

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to encourage corporations to sponsor women’s football teams and other initiatives.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Women and Sport Advisory Board convened under the 2010-2015 coalition Government identified commercial investment in women’s sport as one of the themes for wider consideration in its final report, published March 2015. This Government wishes to look more widely at how it can make sport financially sustainable, and women’s sport, including women’s football, forms part of this work. The Minister for Sport and Tourism held a round-table session with representatives from National Governing Bodies, media bodies, sponsorship agencies, brands and a consultancy specialising in data intelligence in order to discuss the issues further. The findings will feed into the forthcoming Sport Strategy.

Civil Partnerships: Siblings

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they have any proposals to enable two siblings to enter into a legally binding civil partnership.

Baroness Williams of Trafford: The Government does not have any plans to amend the Civil Partnership Act 2004 to enable siblings to register as civil partners.

Department for Work and Pensions

Jobseeker's Allowance

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will place in the Library of the House a copy of the guidance issued to Jobcentre Plus staff regarding tailored conditionality for claimants applying for Jobseeker's Allowance while awaiting a mandatory reconsideration decision on their Employment and Support Allowance claim.

Lord Freud: The Jobcentre Plus guidance that covers this subject area is the: Labour Market Conditions Guide (availability and actively seeking work section); ESA to JSA Transitions Guide; and Claimant Commitment guidance. These will be placed in the Library of the House as requested. It should be noted, however, that all Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants should have their conditionality tailored to their individual personal circumstances regardless of their reasons for claiming.

Social Security Benefits

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many, and what proportion of, households affected by the proposed reduction of the benefit cap to £23,000 per year receive (1) Employment and Support Allowance, and (2) Income Support.

Lord Freud: The Government set out its assessment of the impacts of the policies in the Welfare Reform and Work Bill on 20th July. The impact assessment is now available on Parliament’s website, and a copy is attached.



Imapct Assessment
(PDF Document, 299.93 KB)

Welfare Assistance Schemes: Finance

Baroness King of Bow: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to make the planned further £74 million of funding available to upper tier local authorities for local welfare assistance schemes in 2016–17.

Baroness Altmann: Future arrangements for all local authority funding are a matter for the next Spending Review period and Local Government Finance Settlement consultations, which are led by DCLG. The outcome of these discussions will be made clear at the appropriate time.

Housing Benefit: Young People

Lord Scriven: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact on LGBT young people of the announcement in the Budget of the withdrawal of housing benefit from under-21 year-olds, in the light of the statistics from the Albert Kennedy Trust that indicate that 69 per cent of LGBT young people in that age group have had to leave their family home and cannot return due to issues surrounding coming out.

Lord Freud: To prevent young people slipping straight into a life on benefits, from April 2017 the Government will remove the automatic entitlement to housing support for new claims in Universal Credit from 18-21 year olds who are out of work. This will ensure young people in the benefits system face the same choices as young people who work and who may not be able to afford to leave home. We will ensure that vulnerable young people who are in need of support for their housing needs continue to receive it. Government will consider the impact in line with our legal obligations as part of that process.

Jobseeker's Allowance: Disqualification

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what was the annual rate of sanctions applied to Jobseeker’s Allowance claimants in each of the years from 2010 to 2014 inclusive, calculated by dividing the number of all those sanctioned in each year by the total number who claimed Jobseeker's Allowance in each year.

Lord Freud: The information is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.

Department for Work and Pensions: Public Appointments

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they will list those persons appointed as chairs of non-departmental public bodies by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Lord Freud: As at 16 July 2015, the information requested is: Ian Russell Disabled People’s Employment Corporation (GB) Ltd. (formerly Remploy Ltd.)Judith Hackitt Health and Safety ExecutiveProfessor Keith Palmer Industrial Injuries Advisory CouncilOtto Thoresen National Employment Savings Trust CorporationAnthony Arter Pensions Ombudsman and Pension Protection Fund OmbudsmanGeoff Shanks (interim chair) The Pensions Advisory ServiceMark Boyle The Pensions RegulatorPaul Gray Social Security Advisory Committee

Occupational Health

Lord Luce: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress is being made on the implementation of the Fit for Work scheme; and whether the pilot schemes have been successful.

Lord Freud: From 9 March 2015, roll-out of the assessment service commenced. By the end of Summer 2015 all GPs in England and Wales will be able to refer to the service. Fit for Work Scotland assessment service went live on 30 January 2015. Roll-out to all remaining NHS Boards in Scotland was completed on 29 June 2015. Evaluation of the pilots was published in June 2015 in the report, ‘Evaluation of the 2010–13 Fit for Work Service pilots’.

Occupational Pensions

Baroness Greengross: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average sum held in the pension funds of people who were enrolled in a pension scheme as part of the auto-enrolment process.

Baroness Altmann: The information is not available in the format requested. Findings from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) Wealth and Asset survey show that overall, the average (median) amount of wealth held in pensions not yet in payment was £33,000 in 2010/12. There is no breakdown available to show wealth held in funds created due to Automatic Enrolment. DWP’s annual official statistics on workplace pension participation found that in 2014, the annual total amount saved in workplace pensions by employees eligible for Automatic Enrolment was £80.3 billion, an increase of £6.6 billion from 2012.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Assets

Baroness Parminter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 6 July (HL719), what assessment they have made of the biodiversity and potential nature conservation value of freehold property identified as a prospective asset sale by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, its Executive Agencies and Non-Departmental Public Bodies.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: All sites that have been identified as surplus and appear on the list in question have undergone rigorous consultation prior to being declared surplus.  Where appropriate in-house conservation and biodiversity specialists are consulted before assets are formally declared surplus. This allows for any conservation or biodiversity value or potential to be identified and managed. This can include land being disposed with appropriate easements in place to protect the biodiversity of the asset.

Food: Dietary Supplements

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staple foods in the United Kingdom are subject to mandatory fortification.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Wheat Flour (excluding wholemeal) is the only food commodity which is subject to a mandatory fortification requirement in the United Kingdom.

White Fish: Conservation

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action is being taken to prevent the disappearance of sea bass in the English Channel and North Sea due to overfishing.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Bass are in serious decline due to the combination of five consecutive years of poor reproduction (due to cold winters) and overfishing.   This year the UK Government has negotiated action at EU level to close the pelagic trawl spring fishery on spawning aggregations; introduce a recreational daily 3 fish bag limit; set monthly vessel catch limits across all commercial fishing gear categories; ban commercial fishing by EU vessels in waters around Ireland; and, increase the minimum conservation reference size for bass to 42cm, to come into force from 1 September.   Consideration will now be given to appropriate action for next year, to respond to the latest scientific advice, and to the development of regional multi-annual plans. Aligned with this work at EU and regional level the UK Government has initiated a high-level review of our current domestic management measures, particularly for protection of bass nursery areas.

Water Companies

Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether, following the coming into force of the Water Act 2014, any work has been done to promote new entrants to the deregulated parts of the water supply sector.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Water Act 2014 will allow all 1.2 million businesses and other non-household customers in England to choose their supplier of water and wastewater retail services from April 2017. Retail services include things like billing and customer services.   The Open Water Programme, involving Government, Industry and Ofwat, is preparing for market opening and is in contact with a number of businesses which are considering entering the new retail market when it opens in April 2017. These prospective entrants are playing an important role in helping to shape delivery of the programme and ensure a level playing field for all participants in the market.   For additional detail, I refer the Noble Lord to my previous reply of 7 July 2015 asked by Lord Oxburgh [HL826] as follows:   To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the estimated number of new entrants expected in the deregulated water marketplace. [HL826]   Lord Gardiner of Kimble: We expect the number of new entrants in the expanded Anglo-Scottish market for non-household retail services to grow over time ahead of the extension of choice to all non-household customers in English in April 2017.   At this point it is not possible to give a definitive number of new entrants likely to be in the market in April 2017. However, there are currently 12 new entrant companies who are licensed to operate in the existing retail market in England and there are 18 licensed providers in the Scottish retail market. Eight of these companies are currently licensed in both jurisdictions.   There are 18 water and sewerage undertakers some of whom have already established separate retail companies and all of which will have the opportunity to exit from the non-household retail market at market opening which may also increase the number of entrants to the market.   The Open Water Programme, involving Government, Industry and Ofwat, is preparing for market opening and is in contact with a number of additional businesses that are considering entering the market. These prospective retailers are playing an important role in helping to shape delivery of the programme and ensure a level playing field for all participants in the market.

Water Companies

Lord Whitty: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of whether, following the coming into force of the Water Act 2014, income from regulated water markets has been used to set up new businesses in the deregulated sector.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: In the 2014 Price Review, Ofwat has set separate price caps for household and non-household customers, together with wholesale and retail services. This stops cross-subsidy between household and non-household customers, and between the wholesale and retail parts of companies’ businesses. Furthermore, regulated water undertakers are already subject to rigorous transfer pricing rules, requiring any new venture to be established at arms-length to the regulated business.   Ofwat is also proposing licence conditions for new retail licensees that prohibit discrimination and cross-subsidy. These will mirror conditions that already exist in the licences of water and sewerage undertakers.   For additional detail, I refer the Noble Lord to my previous reply of 6 July 2015, asked by Lord Moynihan, as follows:   To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what criteria water company retail arms can use regulated money to take over the customer base of water companies that have exited the market place. [HL802]   Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Government is committed to enabling exit for the non-household part of a statutory water and sewerage undertaker’s retail business. Since the Water Act received Royal Assent in May 2014, we have been working with the water industry to develop the secondary legislation necessary to enable companies to exit at the opening of the new retail market in April 2017. We consulted on the proposed policy approach in December 2014 and will be publishing a further public consultation on the draft retail exits regulations shortly.   The Government has always been clear that exit must be voluntary. Our approach will enable each water and sewerage undertaker to decide whether or not they wish to exit the market for non-household retail services. Undertakers will also have the choice to continue to provide retail services to non-household customers within their area of appointment, under the existing licence of appointment. However, an undertaker can only exit to a retailer that holds one of the new Water Supply and Sewerage licences (WSSL). An undertaker cannot exit to another undertaker because undertakers will not be eligible to hold one of the new retail licences. An undertaker could not, therefore, take a transfer of customers from outside of its area of appointment.   The only exception to this rule would be in the case of a merger between undertakers. To cover this eventuality, there is a special merger regime that explicitly considers the impact of the merger on Ofwat’s ability to regulate effectively for customers and either prohibits mergers or seeks to extract remedies for customers from company shareholders to make up for any detriment. We assume that ‘regulated money’ refers to the revenue allowances that water undertakers are allowed to recover from customers under their price limits, most recently set by Ofwat in December. In this scenario it would not be possible for such ‘regulated money’ to be used to take over another water company except where that company had already outperformed the price settlement through efficiencies.   The companies holding one of the new ‘retail’ WSSL licences are expected to include both new entrants to the market that have no association with any existing water company; and ‘associate licensees’ that form part of an undertaker’s wider group business but are nevertheless required to be established as a separate legal entity. These licenced retailers will operate in the competitive market and may therefore opt to use their own working capital to acquire customers through a transfer following an exit. In this scenario it would therefore similarly be impossible for ‘regulated money’ to be used to take over another water company’s retail arm because these companies are not subject to price limits set by Ofwat through the price review process.   There are already requirements in the water and sewerage undertakers licence of appointment that ensure that all transactions with an associated licensee must be conducted on a fair and non-discriminatory basis and companies are subject to rigorous transfer pricing rules that ensure transactions are conducted on an arms’ length basis. Ofwat’s recently published consultation on the proposed form and content of the new retail licences for the expanded retail market proposes that similar requirements should also be placed on to holders of these new Water and Sewerage Supply Licences (the new retail licences). These checks and balances mean that it would not be possible for the retail arm of a water and sewerage undertaker to use regulated money to take over the customer base of water companies that have exited the market place.

HM Treasury

Exports

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the finding of the Office for Budget Responsibility that they will miss the target to increase exports to £1 trillion pounds by 2020 by £367 billion pounds.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: World trade growth has been revised down by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in each year of the forecast from 2016. As a result, the OBR now expects a weaker outlook for UK export markets. As the UK is one of the most open economies in the world, external weakness, particularly in our biggest export markets in Europe, reduces demand for our exports. In addition the slowdown in world trade is expected to continue, resulting in the OBR forecasting a weaker outlook for UK export markets.   The £1 trillion figure was set to be ambitious, and it remains so. UK Trade and Investment (UKTI) has more than doubled the number of businesses it helps on an annual basis since 2010, supported by extra resources. However, given the scale of the export challenge it is essential that the broad range of relevant government activity works effectively for all companies across multiple sectors and markets. That is why the government, in its Productivity Plan, has pledged to mobilise the whole of government behind exporting, working alongside a more effective UKTI and better export finance.

Inheritance Tax: Siblings

Baroness Deech: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to extend inheritance tax relief to long-term cohabiting and codependent siblings.

Lord O'Neill of Gatley: The government has no plans to change the inheritance tax treatment of long-term cohabiting and co-dependent siblings.

Department for Energy and Climate Change

Radioactive Waste

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what progress they are making in their national survey to establish the most suitable, and least hazardous, geological sites for the long-term storage of nuclear waste.

Lord Bourne of Aberystwyth: As one of the actions in the 2014 Implementing Geological Disposal White Paper, Radioactive Waste Management Limited (RWM) are carrying out a national geological screening exercise, based on existing geological information. This screening exercise will not target or select individual sites for development of a geological disposal facility (GDF). Its purpose is to provide authoritative information that can be used in future discussions with communities thinking about possible GDF developments.The process will involve two steps: guidance will be produced by RWM in 2015, which will be subject to expert review, by an Independent Review Panel established by the Geological Society, and public consultation. The final guidance will be applied during 2016, using the specialist expertise of the British Geological Survey. Outputs will be in the form of narratives describing characteristics of the geological environment across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and the relevance of these characteristics to safety. There is a large range of potentially suitable geological environments in the UK, and no single ‘most suitable’ type of geological environment for a GDF. There are several programmes at an advanced stage in different parts of the world, focussing on different geological environments, each designed to be safe.The Independent Review Panel held a public meeting with RWM on 23 June to discuss the draft screening guidance. This meeting was streamed live on YouTube and the draft guidance has been published on the web. RWM has given presentations to eleven Geological Society Regional Groups, and held six meetings with stakeholders, including Local Authority representatives and other members of the public who have expressed interest.The public consultation on the draft screening guidance will take place in the autumn.This work will support the process of formal engagement with communities interested in hosting a GDF, which will start in 2017. Current estimates are that it will take between 15 and 20 years to agree a site through the national siting process. After this, GDF construction should proceed from the 2030s, with disposal of radioactive waste in the facility starting from the 2040s.

Cabinet Office

Life Peers: Public Appointments

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many persons nominated for a peerage for each of the political parties have been referred to the House of Lords Appointments Commission since 30 March.

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates in 2015 the names of persons nominated for a peerage were first communicated to the House of Lords Appointments Commission.

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they are still committed to greater proportionality in the appointment of members to the House of Lords; and if not, what consultations took place prior to their decision not to continue with this commitment.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: I refer the noble Lord to my written answer of 23 June 2015 (HL371, HL372, HL373 and HL509), which I attach for ease of reference.



HL371, HL372, HL373, HL509
(PDF Document, 41.26 KB)

Life Peers: Public Appointments

Lord Campbell-Savours: To ask Her Majesty’s Government on what dates since 30 March the House of Lords Appointments Commission has met to consider nominations for a peerage.

Baroness Stowell of Beeston: The independent House of Lords Appointments Commission (HoLAC) accounts for its proceedings in its Annual Report and publishes minutes of Commission meetings on its website: http://lordsappointments.independent.gov.uk/

Electoral Register: Young People

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the proportion of people aged 18 on the electoral registers in (1) Northern Ireland, and (2) Great Britain; and what consideration they have given to bringing the electoral registration process in Great Britain into line with that in Northern Ireland by fully involving schools in the process.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The most recent analysis by the Electoral Commission of the completeness and accuracy of the electoral registers in Northern Ireland (November 2012) and Great Britain (2014) suggests that 51% of 18-19 year olds in Northern Ireland were registered to vote, compared with 76.1% of 18-19 year olds in Great Britain. Many Electoral Registration Officers (EROs) in Great Britain already work with local schools and colleges in their area to identify and register young people.

Electoral Register: Fines

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many civil penalties for non-compliance with the electoral registration process have been issued since the penalty system was introduced; and what steps they plan to take to increase awareness of such civil penalties.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Civil penalty notices are issued on a local basis by Electoral Registration Officers (EROs); there is no requirement for an ERO to inform the Government where this occurs, therefore no information is held centrally on the number of civil penalty notices issued. A civil penalty notice once issued may be cancelled at the ERO’s discretion or if the person makes an application to register. All Electoral Registration Officers are obliged by the Representation of the People Regulations 2001 to use the registration application forms designed by the Electoral Commission and approved by Government Ministers. Applicants filling in these forms are required to make a declaration that they understand that failure to make an application when required to do so could result in a civil penalty notice being issued.

Electoral Register

Lord Rennard: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the advice of the Electoral Commission that the transition to individual electoral registration should not be brought forward from 1 December 2016.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government informed the House on 16 July of its plans to end the transition to Individual Electoral Registration in December 2015. The Written Ministerial Statement can be found on parliament.uk.

Political Parties: Finance

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to review the limits in force for donations to political parties.

Lord Bridges of Headley: The Government is committed to continue to seek agreement on a comprehensive package of party funding reform.

National Security

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the new National Security Strategy and supporting risk register will be completed, in order to inform the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Work has begun on the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, informed by the National Security Risk Assessment, and these will report by the end of the year.

Civil Service Learning

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many staff are presently employed by Civil Service Learning; and, of these, how many teach on modules that address the role of Parliament and the constitutional relationship between Parliament and the executive.

Lord Bridges of Headley: As at 30th June 2015, there were 72 staff members employed by Civil Service Learning. One staff member is responsible for learning that covers the role of Parliament and the constitutional relationship between Parliament and the executive.

Senior Civil Servants: Training

Lord Norton of Louth: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many members of the Senior Civil Service have completed e-learning modules provided by Civil Service Learning since its inception in April 2011; and, of these, what proportion have completed modules that address the role of Parliament and the constitutional relationship between Parliament and the executive.

Lord Bridges of Headley: 6,750 Senior Civil Servants have undertaken e-learning courses by Civil Service Learning since April 2011, of which 3.2% have been courses that address the role of Parliament and the constitutional relationship between Parliament and the executive. For externally recruited Senior Civil Servants Civil Service Learning has introduced a new corporate induction programme that includes sections on the role of Parliament.

Charities

Lord Stoddart of Swindon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to discuss with the Charity Commission the need for charities to include in their requests for donations the level of support they receive from the Government and other public bodies; the salaries paid to the Chief Executive Officer and other senior staff; and the number of full-time and part-time paid staff employed.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Ministers regularly meet with the Charity Commission to discuss the legal and regulatory framework for charities in England and Wales. Charities are already required to provide information relating to income sources, senior staff remuneration, and the number of employed staff in their annual accounts and trustees’ annual reports. The accounts and reports of registered charities with an annual income of over £25,000 are publicly available from the Charity Commission at www.gov.uk.

Privy Council

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they plan to advise Her Majesty that an upper limit should be set on the size of the Privy Council.

Lord Bridges of Headley: There are currently no plans to advise Her Majesty to set an upper limit on the size of the Privy Council. Appointment to the Privy Council is for life, but only serving Government ministers have a role in advising on Privy Council matters. Therefore the majority of Counsellors play no part in the Privy Council’s day-to-day business. Setting an upper limit could risk restricting essential new appointments, for example, in the event of a reshuffle or change of Government, as each member of the Cabinet must be a member of the Privy Council.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what consultations with Parliament and civil society have been arranged as a part of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Work has begun on the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, and these will report by the end of the year. As part of this work, we will engage with a range of stakeholders, including Parliament, academics, industry, think tanks and non-governmental organisations. Members of the public will have the opportunity to contribute thoughts via a dedicated page on gov.uk. Comments submitted will be considered as part of the wider SDSR and NSS processes and this page is due to go live in the next few weeks.

Strategic Defence and Security Review

Lord Robertson of Port Ellen: To ask Her Majesty’s Government when the findings of the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review will be announced.

Lord Bridges of Headley: Work has begun on the 2015 National Security Strategy and Strategic Defence and Security Review, and these will report by the end of the year.

Department of Health

Pregnancy

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what percentage of pregnancies are unplanned; and what assessment they have made of the relationship between unplanned pregnancies and the high-risk period for folate levels and the closure of the neural tube at 27 days.

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what is the average number of terminations of pregnancies affected by neural tube defects at the 20-week scan.

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what information they have regarding the socio-economic groups to which those deciding to terminate a neural tube defect-affected pregnancy after the 20-week scan belong.

Lord Prior of Brampton: There is no data routinely collected on whether a pregnancy is planned or unplanned. However, the third National Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles estimated that 16.2% of pregnancies are unplanned with a further 29% categorised as ambivalent i.e. where the woman was neither actively planning or seeking to avoid a pregnancy.   No assessment has been made of the relationship between unplanned pregnancies and the high risk period for folate levels and the closure of the neural tube at 27 days gestation. In line with NICE guidance, women intending to become pregnant should be informed that dietary supplementation with folic acid, before conception and throughout the first 12 weeks, reduces the risk of having a baby with a neural tube defect.   The International Classification of Disease (10th edition) includes Anencephaly, Encephalocele and Spina Bifida as Neural Tube Defects. In 2014, 442 abortions were performed because of Neural Tube defects; 152 (34%) of these were performed at 20 weeks gestation or over.   Information on the socio-economic group for women having abortions is not collected centrally.

Diabetes

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what efforts are being made to ensure that those suffering from Type 1 diabetes (1) have comparable outcomes, and (2) have comparable routine care, to those with Type 2 diabetes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: There are clear guidelines in place on the management of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The delivery of the recommended care processes and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets for all people with diabetes are incentivised through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. Delivery of these are monitored through the National Diabetes Audits and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcome Indicator Set. In addition, the diabetes national public health profiles published by Public Health England supports general practitioners and CCGs to identify where improvement is needed.   The Department is developing plans to improve the outcomes of people with diabetes and will put forward our plans in due course.

Diabetes

Lord Morris of Aberavon: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what steps they plan to take in the next 12 months to ensure that those with Type 1 diabetes meet similar targets for the recommended care processes, and for treatment for blood glucose and cholesterol, as those with Type 2 diabetes.

Lord Prior of Brampton: There are clear guidelines in place on the management of Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. The delivery of the recommended care processes and National Institute for Health and Care Excellence treatment targets for all people with diabetes are incentivised through the Quality and Outcomes Framework. Delivery of these are monitored through the National Diabetes Audits and the Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) Outcome Indicator Set. In addition, the diabetes national public health profiles published by Public Health England supports general practitioners and CCGs to identify where improvement is needed.   The Department is developing plans to improve the outcomes of people with diabetes and will put forward our plans in due course.

Pregnancy

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many (1) singleton, and (2) multiple, pregnancies were dealt with in each (a) hospital trust, and (b) region, in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: As the information requested is over a 10 year period, it has been provided in the attached tables. We have provided a count of delivery episodes involving: (a) a singleton birth; (b) multiple births; or (c) an unknown number of babies born at the end of a single delivery episode. The information is provided by hospital provider and government office region of treatment for the years 2004-05 to 2013-14. Data should not be described as a count of people as the same person may have had more than one episode of care within the same time period. The footnotes should be referred to when interpreting the data. 



Tables
(Excel SpreadSheet, 80.66 KB)

Childbirth

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases there were involving the stillbirth, neonatal death or disability of a baby, or the disability of the mother or maternal death, in a singleton pregnancy by (1) hospital trust and (2) region, in each of the last 10 years; and what was the total cost of settling claims dealt with by the NHS arising from these cases.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information requested has been provided by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA). As the information is over a 10 year period it has been put into the attached spreadsheets, entitled:   1) Single pregnancy by Trust - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a single birth pregnancy received by hospital trust for NHS LA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 2) Single pregnancy by Region - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a single birth pregnancy received by region for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 3) Multiple pregnancy by Region - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by region for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 4) Multiple pregnancy by Cause - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by cause for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 5) Multiple pregnancy by Trust - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by hospital trust for NHSLA Notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014   It should be noted that where there are less than five claims in a cohort against a trust, an asterisk has been used in the spreadsheets, as the disclosure of such information could breach an individual’s confidentiality.  



Spreadsheets workbook
(Excel SpreadSheet, 153.96 KB)

Childbirth

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many cases there were involving the stillbirth, neonatal death or disability of a baby, or the disability of the mother or maternal death, in a multiple pregnancy by (1) hospital trust, and (2) region, in each of the last 10 years; and what was the total cost of settling claims dealt with by the NHS arising from these cases.

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were the causes of those maternity-related claims settled by the NHS in each of the last 10 years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The information requested has been provided by the NHS Litigation Authority (NHS LA). As the information is over a 10 year period it has been put into the attached spreadsheets, entitled: 1) Single pregnancy by Trust - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a single birth pregnancy received by hospital trust for NHS LA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 2) Single pregnancy by Region - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a single birth pregnancy received by region for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 3) Multiple pregnancy by Region - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by region for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 4) Multiple pregnancy by Cause - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by cause for NHSLA notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014 5) Multiple pregnancy by Trust - will show the number of obstetrics claims involving a multiple birth pregnancy received by hospital trust for NHSLA Notification years 04/05 to 13/14, as at 31/03/2014   It should be noted that where there are less than five claims in a cohort against a trust, an asterisk has been used in the spreadsheets, as the disclosure of such information could breach an individual’s confidentiality. 



Spreadsheets workbook
(Excel SpreadSheet, 153.96 KB)

Exercise

Lord Ouseley: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how they plan to ensure an increase in physical leisure activity among the population in order to tackle the rise in obesity among adults and children.

Lord Prior of Brampton: Tackling obesity is of great concern to this Government and tackling childhood obesity is a major priority. Physical activity has an important role to play in weight management, and can bring important physical and mental health benefits, but there is no single solution to the problem.   While some progress has been made in recent years, there is much further to go. We will put forward our plans in due course.

Congenital Abnormalities

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the case for introducing a Birth Defects Prevention Month and a Folic Acid Awareness Week, such as those that take place in the United States of America, and of the potential effects of such a step on public health and the economy.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government currently has no plans to introduce a folic acid awareness week or a Birth Defects Prevention Month.   In line with National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidelines, women are advised to take an additional 400 micrograms of folic acid as a supplement, ideally from several weeks before conception until the 12th week of pregnancy, in order to reduce the risk of a neural tube defect affected pregnancy. The NICE guidelines, Maternal and child nutrition, are attached.   This information is also available on the NHS Choices website. 



Maternal and Child Nutrition
(PDF Document, 429.53 KB)

Folic Acid

Lord Rooker: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what were (1) the age distribution, and (2) gender distribution, of those from whom blood samples were taken for folate status analysis for the recent National Nutrition and Diet Survey supplementary report; and what was the distribution, by country, of places where samples were collected.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The blood folate results published in the National Diet and Nutrition Survey Supplementary Report on 20 March 2015 are based on 2,671 people across the United Kingdom who gave a blood sample. This survey is available at the following link and has also been attached.   https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/national-diet-and-nutrition-survey-supplementary-report-blood-folate   Of the people giving a blood sample, 57 were aged 1.5-3 years, 270 were aged 4-10 years, 575 were aged 11-18 years, 1,401 were aged 19-64 years and 368 were aged 65 years or older. 1,214 samples were from males and 1,457 were from females.   656 samples were provided in Scotland, 288 in Wales, 360 in Northern Ireland and 1,367 in England. 



Folate Report
(PDF Document, 674.97 KB)

Social Services

Baroness Armstrong of Hill Top: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to ensure provision of social care for non self-pay service users in the event of systemic failure in the social care market.

Lord Prior of Brampton: It is important that there is a vibrant market of local care and support providers offering a choice of high quality services that are able to adapt over time to meet changing needs.   The Care Act introduces new duties on local authorities to promote their local market, with a particular focus on quality, diversity and sustainability. The Government recognises that local authorities’ own commissioning is likely to be their most important tool for facilitating their markets. The Government has worked with the Local Government Association and the Association of Directors of Adult Social Services (ADASS) to co-produce material to help local authorities promote their local markets and improve their own commissioning.   Ultimately, local authorities remain locally accountable for how their budgets are allocated, including spend on care and support. However, the Care Act is clear that prices agreed with care providers will have to reflect the new duties outlined above in relation to the promotion of sustainability of the overall market. The Government recently published statutory guidance setting out how local authorities should meet these new duties when commissioning, including the consideration of the actual costs of care and support when negotiating fee levels. A copy of the guidance is attached.   More widely, as in any market, provider exits and entries are inevitable. Where continuity of care is at risk because a provider’s business has failed, local authorities must temporarily step in to ensure an individual’s needs continue to be met, including the needs of both those that are self- and state-funded. In order to help local authorities respond to potential situations where a provider is particularly large or geographically concentrated, and where an individual local authority may struggle to carry out this duty on its own, the Government has created a new market oversight function which will be carried out by the Care Quality Commission (CQC). The CQC will act to oversee the finance of specified providers with a view to providing local authorities with early warning of financial failure and to ensure effective contingency plans can be put in place.   The Government has also commissioned the ADASS to publish guidance for local authorities to assist them in developing contingency plans for managing provider failure which should be available by summer 2015. 



Care Act Guidance
(PDF Document, 4.32 MB)

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how long the revised Cancer Drugs Fund list will be available for patients and clinicians to access.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government is committed to continuing to invest in the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Cancer: Drugs

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what discussions have taken place, if any, with NHS England about (1) the levels of unmet need in rare cancers, and (2) incremental innovation in rare cancers' treatment, during the process of assessing medicines for inclusion on the Cancer Drugs Fund.

Lord Prior of Brampton: NHS England has advised that the current scoring system within the Cancer Drugs Fund makes provision for rarer cancers and unmet need where there is no recognised treatment available for a specific cancer. The clinical impact of innovation is considered by the clinical panel as part of the prioritisation process.

Mental Health Services: Chinese

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether a strategy has been developed for dealing with mental health problems arising in the United Kingdom' Chinese community.

Lord Prior of Brampton: No strategy has been developed for dealing specifically with mental health problems arising in the Chinese community. No Health without mental health is a cross-government mental health outcomes strategy for people of all ages which aims to improve the mental health and wellbeing of the population and keep people well; and improve outcomes for people with mental health problems through high-quality services that are equally accessible to all.   The 2015-16 Mandate to NHS England is clear that mental health should be given the same priority as physical health. The Mandate recognises NHS England’s commitment to achieve parity of esteem, and thereby ensure mental health is treated as seriously as physical health.   With regard to service delivery, Improving Access to Psychological Therapy services which provide psychological therapies for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders have seen a steady rise in the number of people from the Chinese community gaining access to treatment. Between 1 April 2013 and 31 March 2014, 1,612 Chinese people were referred for psychological therapies and 659 completed a course of treatment. Between 1 April 2014 and 31 December 2014, 1,392 Chinese people were referred for psychological therapies and 653 completed treatment. More comprehensive data including the numbers of people entering treatment and reaching recovery on completing treatment will be available from Quarter 1 2015 – 16 (1 April 15 – 30 June 15). The data will be published quarterly from October 2015.

Health Services: Males

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent to which joint strategic needs assessments pay due regard to men’s health issues.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The Government has not made any assessment of the extent to which Joint Strategic Needs Assessments (JSNAs) pay regard to men’s health issues.   JSNAs should assess the health and care needs of the entire local population, and offer a valuable opportunity to review how current local services support men’s health services and help commissioners prioritise and commission services appropriately.   The Government has not highlighted or prioritised any specific groups or area of need over another as this would risk undermining the purpose of JSNAs as being objective, comprehensive and most importantly locally-owned assessments.

Health Services and Social Services: Living Wage

Lord Warner: To ask Her Majesty’s Government how much additional funding they estimate the new national living wage will require (1) for the provision of publicly-funded adult social care, and (2) for the National Health Service, in the 2016–17, 2017–18 and 2018–19 financial years.

Lord Prior of Brampton: The costs of introducing the Living Wage will depend on the profile for its full introduction, which has not yet been decided. Any costs will be considered as part of the forthcoming Spending Review.